Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order to do away with all iterations of the Common Core State Standards in the state. DeSantis has asked the state's education commissioner to develop a plan to adopt new math and language arts standards.

English-language learners in Florida who were held back in the third grade became proficient in English in about half the time than their peers who advanced to the fourth grade, according to a working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Researchers studied 40,000 students in several Florida school districts and found that retained students were less likely to take remedial English courses later and more likely to take advanced math or science courses in middle school.

Adopting some kinds of mindfulness practices in the classroom may be difficult for students who have experienced trauma, according to Sam Himelstein, a clinical psychologist, trainer and author. He says the practice of closing their eyes could trigger some students and suggests alternative ways to practice mindfulness, including somatic awareness.

Technology cannot replace a skilled teacher in the classroom, asserts Marcy Zipke, an associate professor at Providence College. In this commentary, she shares her experience observing two elementary-school classrooms in Rhode Island that used technology in different ways, noting that teachers should be trusted to guide students in its use.

There are several strategies that teachers can adopt to support English-language learners in the middle grades, writes Valentina Gonzalez, a professional-development specialist for ELLs in Texas. In this blog post, she suggests using more visual tools and focusing on small groups.

This "most read" feature reflects the most read items in ASCD SmartBrief from the previous week. Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief’s education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.